Notes: For the purposes of this story I'm envisioning "Ship of Spies" as very late in Season 2 - after "Burn Out" for sure. I've futzed a bit with the timeline during the episode, and have turned it into a week-long cruise. Apologies for plot contrivances and any inaccuracies in the settings/situations that I made in order to suit the story.

CHAPTER ONE - Come Sail Away

Lee handily thwarted Rackam's attempt to pitch them over the side of the cliff - inside a car. After which he and Amanda escaped that same vehicle as it careened down to the beach. Once on the sand, they brought Miles and Jillian to heel and freed Emiliano and Orlando from the ropes that bound their wrists.

Using the radio in Miles and Jillian's van, Lee reached the local authorities. San Angelo officers were mobilized and a nearby US Coast Guard cutter seized the insurrectionists' boat. Local police picked up Gretz and Rackam from the side of the road on their way to arrest MIles and Jillian.

Once back in town, Orland and Emiliano made contact with their respective bosses while Lee and Amanda spoke at length with the US Coast Guard and, of course, Billy back at the Agency. Statements were made, status reports got filed, and the whole thing was over and done by five o'clock.

Anxious to shed the grit of the beach and the sweat of the harrowing day, Lee and Amanda were happy to be back aboard the Princess Martha.

Finally clean and in her regular clothes, Amanda held up the wedding dress and considered it with a touch of wistfulness. It was a mess, most certainly never to be worn again, and likely a total loss. The gorgeous garment would never see a real wedding.

"Amanda? You decent?" Lee knocked from his side of their adjoining rooms.

"Yeah, come on in," she called.

"Nice to get washh up, huh?"

Hanging the bridal gown on the back of the cabin door, Amanda turned. "This poor thing is beyond recovery."

"Yeah, my tux too. Nothing like hand-to-hand in a ship's engine room, a dowsing with vodka, rolling out of a moving car, and getting into a fist fight on the beach to ruin a good suit."

Amanda smiled at his glib summary of the day.

"Listen, Amanda…" Lee's tone changed to something between serious and nervous while he trained his gaze on the carpet.

She held in a breath, expecting to hear a lecture about how she'd handled herself on the case.

"I talked to Billy again… and since he was so reluctant to even let me even look into Orlando's telegram, he's given me the rest of the week off."

"Oh?"

"So… what do you think?" Lee asked, looking at her, his eyebrows lifted hopefully.

"What do I think about what?" Amanda was still unsure what he was getting at.

"Staying on board for the rest of the cruise - enjoying some well-earned R&R."

"Oh! That sounds like a great idea. You'll really enjoy that." Amanda nodded encouragingly.

"No, Amanda…" Lee sighed.

"No?"

"Not just me. You and me. What do you say? Unless you have to get back for a coat sale, or your Mother and the boys need you..."

As much as he would've enjoyed the cruise without her, Lee found that a three and a half days on a Carribean cruise with Amanda was exactly what he wanted.

"Well… I did tell Mother I might be gone all week, the boys are at Junior Trailblazer camp for spring break, and I packed enough clothes… could be fun. Sure, why not?"

Amanda rarely had time away for herself. She loved being a mother; raising Phillip and Jamie was one of the most fulfilling parts of her life. But even devoted parents needed time off now and then. Plus, she liked how Lee had been opening up to her, and to himself. He was much more settled and trusting - relaxed even - and Amanda was flattered that he wanted her to stay.

"Great!" Lee clapped his hands together enthusiastically. "And we have the compliments of the Staff Captain - who's taken over command of the ship - he wants to upgrade us to a suite."

"Oooh, a suite?" Amanda thought it sounded very luxurious.

"Yep. We'll change for dinner, pack up, and I'll call to have our luggage moved."

After hanging up with the bell desk, Lee saw that Amanda had wandered in. She'd changed into a pair of fashionably tailored black palazzo pants and a tank-style top that was a shimmery silver with black trim.

"I'm so glad Orlando was all right." Amanda sat on the edge of his bed, content to watch as Lee finished packing. She liked his 'vacation' look, which he'd sported in Europe as well - no tie, shirt unbuttoned a bit, and a blazer.

"Yeah, me too. He saved my life once and his intel on Grenada was invaluable," he said over his shoulder as he went to pack up his shaving kit from the bathroom.

The steward arrived and handed them each a key to their new accommodations. In turn, Lee passed him several bills after their luggage was piled onto the cart.

"I'll just look around one last time," Amanda said as she started for her room. "We were at a motel in Virginia Beach once and we left Jamie's Dusty the Rabbit behind. He cried and cried the whole way home."

Lee used to find Amanda's tales of suburban antics annoying and a waste of time. Now they were a familiar part of his daily life, and he found himself actually paying attention.

Amanda came back and made one last visual sweep under his bed. "Okay, we're all good! Shall we head to the dining room?"

Once in the hallway, Lee offered her his arm as they walked. "So, what happened?"

"When?"

"With Dusty the Rabbit?"

She was surprised at his interest. "Oh, the crisis was averted by a secret weapon known only among parents."

"What's that?" Lee asked.

"Duplicates."

"Duplicates?"

"Yep. When we got home, I did the laundry from the trip and put new Dusty the Rabbit in the dryer. When everything came out - there was Dusty. Found and miraculously clean!"

Lee laughed and shook his head. "Pretty clever."

"Only lasts until they're about five. After that, they catch on," Amanda concluded as they stepped up to the host stand in the dining room.

The maitre d' escorted them to a table for two, and after they settled into their seats, Amanda noted, "Kinda deserted in here."

Lee looked around - the elegant dining room was noticeably empty, even for the early seating.

They hadn't eaten since breakfast, so Lee (who'd really only had coffee) and Amanda welcomed the approach of their waiter with champagne and the evening's appetizer. Later, as they were finishing their lobster tail main course, the waiter returned and presented dessert: a tray of petit four-sized wedding cakes.

"Thank you." Amanda smiled.

Lee and Amanda looked down at the tiny cakes in front of them, then looked up at each other, momentarily puzzled.

Lee solved the mystery first. "Terrible form for a groom, but I forgot we got married today." Their 'wedding' seemed like eons ago.

"I've got an excuse, I've done it before, so it's old hat for me," she joked. "I hope you're not planning to shove one of those into my mouth."

"I think we'll skip that tradition and just feed ourselves."

"Good idea."

They ended up splitting each little cake in half so they could sample all the varieties. After polishing off the lot and draining the last of their champagne, they got up to go.

"What do you say we take that walk around the deck?"

"I was just going to suggest that," Amanda said as Lee tucked her arm in his.

"No lifeboat climbing this time, okay?"

"Definitely no lifeboat climbing."

The view of San Angelo's harbor lights as the ship left the island was complemented by a soft, warm breeze carrying the scent of the sea. As they approached Lifeboat C, Lee maneuvered them as far away from the rail as possible. He wanted to lighten the memory of her dangling above the open water.

"Very funny."

"You nearly gave me a heart attack, you know that?" He couldn't quite attain the levity he wanted.

"I really thought I was on to something with Lifeboat C, seat 24."

"I know, I know." Lee moved his arm around her shoulders. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Amanda looked up and smiled, enjoying his concern and protectiveness. As their eyes met, the moment took on a decidedly romantic tone. Lee forced a chuckle and gave her a platonic pat before removing his arm.

"It's a lovely evening, I'm surprised there aren't more people out here." Amanda tried to counter Lee's sudden awkwardness.

He acknowledged her observation with a short 'hmm.' Lee's mind was awhirl after the swell of attraction that had just bubbled up between them. He certainly cared for her; she was a good friend. Anyone would be hard pressed to say she was anything other than beautiful. And their kiss at the wedding had been unexpectedly sensual. He wasn't sure what to think.

Strolling in silence for some time, they rounded the deck to the windward side and Amanda shivered.

"You cold?" Lee moved to put his arm around her.

"Just a little… this is better."

Lee smiled as she settled into his embrace. When they'd been on the beach, keeping Jillian and Miles at bay, it'd felt patently natural to have his arm around. The instinct to have her close again was undeniable. Maybe he did know what to think.

He sensed she was enjoying it too, and why shouldn't they take pleasure in each other's company? They'd been working well together, getting along well. When he'd faked burnout, her faith in him had been nothing but steadfast. Almost without Lee noticing, she'd made her way past his bravado and gotten under his skin.

Amanda suddenly spoke up. "Lee, I have a confession."

It was so unlike Amanda to hold anything back that he stopped walking to face her. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be fine." He ran his hands up and down her arms.

"When we filled out the paperwork before the wedding ceremony this morning, I used a fake name."

Lee chuckled. "You did?"

"Do you think we'll get in any trouble?"

He broke into a full laugh. "Not at all. The forms will get filed on San Angelo, but they'll be null and void. No one will ever even know."

"Good, because I also used a fake address, birthdate, birthplace..." Amanda began to rattle off nearly every field on the form.

"You went all out! That was quick thinking," Lee said. "I actually did the same thing."

"So we're definitely not married." Amanda was relieved. She hadn't wanted to get them in trouble, but she had not been pleased at all about a legally-binding fake marriage.

"Nope. Not even a little bit."

"Well, maybe a tiny bit, we did eat those itsy-bitsy wedding cakes." Amanda joked as she gestured with her thumb and forefinger.

"I also put a real gold ring on your finger," Lee said, holding up her hand to show it off.

"And we did kiss…"

"Yeah…" Lee's voice caught in his throat as he agreed. He was well aware that they'd kissed.

Amanda felt heat rising in her cheeks as they stared at each other. For at least the second time that evening, she felt the unmistakable tension of attraction building between them.

A door slammed shut as a crew member came out onto deck, breaking their moment.

"It's getting pretty windy out here. Maybe we should go inside," Lee suggested.

"Yeah."

Amanda had been kissed by Lee before - a hasty move to protect their cover and give him a reason for breaking curfew. Their wedding kiss was necessary for their cover too, but she knew it was coming. Amanda also knew that kissing Lee Stetson was not unpleasant - at all. What she hadn't expected was for it to be so astonishingly arousing this time.

Much warmer inside, they continued to stroll around the ship… laughing at the tacky paintings in the 'fine art gallery,' peeking in at the closed casino, and following the sounds of a jazz combo to the deserted lounge.

"Shall we give them a real audience?" Lee suggested.

"Aww, our first dance."

They came together in a casual dance pose. Lee teased, "Will it be a tiny dance, like the tiny cakes?"

The band appeared to appreciate having people to play for, nodding at them as they transitioned from one tune into the next.

"Where do you think everyone is tonight? I hope they didn't party too much and miss the ship, or pass out in their cabins. You'd think they'd be celebrating," Amanda observed.

"Uh, Amanda, I think they are celebrating... just not here. They're probably in their cabins… but not passed out," Lee raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh!" The penny dropped.

"So much for you being experienced with weddings!"

Lee felt a wave of knots whip around his gut. It was one thing to joke about weddings being 'old hat' for her, but he regretted even this vague reference to Amanda and Joe's wedding night. To ward off any accompanying images, he focused on the tantalizing feel of Amanda in his arms. Lee closed his eyes and only opened them again when Amanda yawned.

"Is that an editorial comment on your dance partner?"

"Not at all. It's a comment on the long day we've had." Amanda couldn't suppress a second, even bigger yawn.

"In that case, I agree. Shall we go check out our suite?"

They thanked the band and Lee left a few bills in their sadly barren tip jar. Finding their suite, Lee used his key to open the door and gestured for Amanda to go in. The first thing she noticed was that the room was about six times the size of their previous rooms; the second thing was that it had a balcony.

Lee expected Amanda to say at least something about the room, but she was silent. "Everything okay? Did our luggage get here?" He paced forward to stand at her side and scanned the room. "Oh." He thought he understood what the issue was. "You take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch."

"Don't be silly, we're adults, we can share this enormous bed." She shook off the suggestion before pointing out what really had her focus. "I can't believe we've got a balcony!"

Lee smiled with relief, showing off his dimples. "After the tiny cakes and our 'little' dance, I guess we should be glad the bed's not a single."

Amanda laughed and moved to unpack her luggage and get settled. "You can have the bathroom first, I'll hang up my things and change."

Lee grabbed his bathroom kit and headed in, where he called back, "You think the bed's big, wait 'til you see the jetted tub!"

By the time Amanda had finished her turn in the bathroom, Lee was fast asleep on one side of the California king-sized bed - and it wasn't as if she had a long nightly ritual by any stretch. She supposed that secret agents learned to catch sleep when they could. Amanda slipped quietly into the other side of the bed, and true to the yawns she couldn't suppress earlier, she was soon sleeping soundly as well.

END CHAPTER ONE